Boilermakers seek revenge in Big Ten Tournament clash with Wildcats

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/12/2010 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The second-seeded Purdue Boilermakers will take on the seventh-seeded Northwestern Wildcats this evening in quarterfinal action of the Big Ten Conference Tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse.

The Wildcats began tournament play Thursday night with a victory over Indiana (73-58). It was the second win in the last three games for Northwestern, which finished the regular season with a meager 7-11 mark in conference.

The sixth-ranked Boilermakers were sensational on the season, grabbing 26 victories, while finishing conference action with a 14-4 ledger. Purdue, which won its first-ever Big Ten Tournament title last season, has won 12 of its last 13 contests.

The Wildcats defeated Purdue, 72-64 earlier this season, but even with the win the Wildcats are on the wrong end of a 118-43 margin in the all-time series.

The Wildcats went into the intermission against Indiana down by three points, but Northwestern turned up the heat in the second stanza with a 20-5 run and went on to win by a 15-point margin. Northwestern shot 41.4 percent from the floor in the matchup and also connected on 18-of-20 shots from the foul line. Michael Thompson led the way in the win with 16 points, while John Shurna added 14 points and seven rebounds. Jeremy Nash tallied 13 points, while Davide Curletti posted 12 points off the bench. Shurna has been the best player on the floor for Northwestern this season, as the forward is leading the team with 18.4 ppg and 6.4 rpg. Thompson is the only other player netting double figures, as the guard comes into this game with 13.9 ppg, and a team- best 132 assists.

The Boilermakers were tenacious at the defensive end of the floor this season, as Purdue held the opposition to just 60.6 ppg. Teams are shooting 40.2 percent against Purdue, but the Boilermakers are limiting opponents to just 35.9 percent shooting, and have forced 15.8 turnovers per matchups. At the other end of the floor the team is producing a respectable 72.1 ppg, but without the help of Robbie Hummel, the Boilermakers could have trouble in this tournament. Hummel, who was averaging 15.7 ppg and 6.9 rpg, suffered an injury to his knee and will be out the remainder of the season. With Hummel on the sidelines the team will need E'Twaun Moore to carry even more of the load, but the guard is already pacing the team with 16.7 ppg. JaJuan Johnson has been a solid force in the paint for Purdue and is netting 14.9 ppg, to go along with team highs in rebounds (7.2 rpg) and blocks (61).

Gambbling NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Gophers and Spatans tee it up in Big Ten Tournament tilt
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michigan State will begin play in the Big Ten Conference Tournament when the third-seeded Spartans battle the sixth- seeded Minnesota Golden Gophers in the quarterfinal round at Conseco Fieldhouse. The Go

<< Wolverines battle hated Buckeyes in Big Ten tourney
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Big Ten regular season champion Ohio State Buckeyes will open tournament play in a quarterfinal showdown against the eighth-seeded Michigan Wolverines this afternoon in Indianapolis. The Wolverines mov

<< Big Ten quarterfinal-round action pits Illini against Badgers
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Quarterfinal action in the Big Ten Tournament will take place this afternoon when the fifth-seeded Illinois Fighting Illini take on the fourth-seeded Wisconsin Badgers at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

<< Buckeye State rivals meet in A-10 Tournament
Atlantic City, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In-state rivals clash for the third time this season as the 24th-ranked Xavier Musketeers and the Dayton Flyers take part in the quarterfinals of the 2010 Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament at Boardwalk Hall

<< Aggies to try and knock top-ranked Jayhawks from lofty perch
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top-ranked Kansas Jayhawks and the 23rd-ranked Texas A&M Aggies are slated to do battle in the semifinal round of the 2010 Big 12 Conference Tournament. The winner of this contest will advance to Sa

Yellow Jackets and Terrapins square off in ACC Tournament action >>
Greensboro, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The second-seeded and 19th-ranked Maryland Terrapins will try to continue their winning ways tonight, as they tangle with the seventh-seeded Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournamen

Georgetown and Marquette meet in Big East semis >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two teams that shook up the Big East Tournament yesterday come together in the semifinals tonight, as the eighth- seeded and 22nd-ranked Georgetown Hoyas battle the fifth-seeded Marquette Golden Eagles at Madison

Irish and Mountaineers fight for right to play for Big East title >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The third-seeded and seventh-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers duke it out with the seventh-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the semifinal round of the Big East Tournament tonight at Madison Square Garden. The

Tulsa takes on UTEP in C-USA Tournament semifinals >>
Tulsa, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top-seeded and 25th-ranked Texas-El Paso Miners come together with the fifth-seeded Tulsa Golden Hurricane in the semifinal round of the Conference USA Tournament today at the BOK Center. The survivor of this bo

Blue Devils hope to avoid upset in ACC tourney clash with Cavs >>
Greensboro, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top-seeded and fourth-ranked Duke Blue Devils begin their quest for another ACC Tournament title today, as they take on the ninth-seeded Virginia Cavaliers in the quarterfinal round at Greensboro Coliseum.

Football Betting

NFL Football Betting Online

The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.

Thursday, August 21

NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37

NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road

In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):

* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games

Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.

Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.

Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.

That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.

Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.

CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

The 2008 NFL betting lines season is almost upon us! If you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting. The sportsbook has NFL odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NFL lines up for early games as well. Join sportbook today and we'll help guide you right through to Super Bowl XLIII and beyond!

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .